Everything and more about gardening in Shady's SE Iowa (USA) location.

"Mattie"

Monday, November 16, 2009

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - late

Today's weather forecast predicted rain at 100%. You can see that it was accurate!

But indoors, that second Christmas Cactus was blooming...

Here's an overhead view of the backside of the plant.

Did You Know? - The Latin American rain forests are the home of what we call the Christmas Cactus. They are widely available in Brazil. The genus name of the Christmas Cactus isSchlumberger, but there are several cultivars. For example the Christmas and Thanksgiving plants are actually different cultivars.

The quickest way to tell the difference between the two plants is by looking at the stems. Thanksgiving cacti have tooth-like notches and soft spines along the the edges of their stems. Christmas cacti have rounded notches on the margins.

My plants seem to be the Schlumbergera truncata (Thanksgiving Cactus) and not a Schlumbergera x buckleyi (Christmas Cactus). They are supposed to bloom around Thanksgiving, and they're being very good at it! :-)You can propagate holiday cacti quite easily by removing a single segment and planting it a quarter of its length deep in a pot filled with slightly sandy soil (it also helps to put some kind of rooting hormone on the base of the cutting). Place the pot in a well lit area (but not direct sunlight) and keep the soil moist. The cutting should begin showing signs of growth after two or three weeks.

Oh, oh! I forgot to ask my friend Joan the name of this begonia, today.We found it last Summer on an excursion, and we each purchased one!

Here's the one flowering orchid...

And here's another with a new shoot... Yea!

Yep! Late again, but I really wanted to get this post finished before 24 hours had passed! ;-)Happy Bloom Day - Late! If you haven't visited Carol at May Dreams Gardens, head over there (click on her name) to see who else has already posted!

I wish we'd get some rain! I always transplant/plant a ton in fall (esp. shrubs) and I'm doing a *lot* of watering! Also, T'giving cactuses also rebloom quite soon should one accidentally knock over their pot, causing them to crash on the floor and lose half their previous size!

After bragging on my Bloom Day post about the beautiful weather we've had in November, we've had nothing but rain since, too. As gloomy as it is to me, though, it must be even gloomier to the farmers--lots of corn still standing in the fields waiting to be harvested.

Your cactus is beautiful! Thanks for the explanation of the difference between the Thanksgiving and Christmas ones. I had no idea they were actually different cultivars. I had one once, but eventually managed to kill it. I really should try again, and now I'll know which kind I'm getting:)

Liz, I'm so looking forward to the progress you'll make on your tea house! And I'll watch for the orchid there, someday! :-)

Rosemary, When we moved here, I was thrilled with those windowsills myself! But even moreso with these windows! :-)

Monica, I'd love to blow some rain your way! ha. Doesn't it give you such a sinking feeling when a beloved plant falls to the ground? I'm so glad it only shook it up some... and that it has room to grow, again! I can well imagine the little starts you may have begun!

Hi Dave ... sorry I gave you something to add to your list! lol. Mine tend to like being somewhat potbound, however. I don't think I've repotted mine for the last few years... (4?)

Hi Rose, Many of our local farmers were able to harvest a LOT of their crops this past week or so (due to their nearly 24-hour workdays!) That's another concern in itself, isn't it?

I have a friend that wants to get rid of her cactus... should I take it??

Hi MMD, Someday you will have more time for indoor plants yourself. I had Very Few while I was busy helping to raise our family. :-)

It looks like you have a great spot for houseplants and bulbs Shady Gardener. By the way you get them to bloom, I'd say they like it a lot. I had no idea there was a difference between Christmas/Thanksgiving cactus or that there were even the two categories? You know my luck with them. The orchid is gorgeous. I keep hoping my phal will re-bloom ~ my cat bit the bloom stalk off last year and I wonder if it will produce another? So far, nothing. :-( You have a lot of beautiful blooms for November. I hope you dry out soon too.

Hi Joey, Do you know that I've begun thinking about snow?? I can wait until after Thanksgiving so there's safe travel for everyone over the holiday... but I'm ready to watch some beautiful snow out those windows! :-)

Kathleen, Did you say you were going to try those Ch/Th cacti again? :-) Want me to start you a couple of pieces??

LOL, yes we did have similar posts. It almost looks like you came and took photos of my Thanksgiving cactus! Thanks for the information on how to tell them apart. I wonder which Carol's is. I noticed her stems are longer and not as wide as mine are. Yours looks like my Naomi. Do you know its name?

My begonia is almost the same shape and size, too. I don't have any orchids, but have some of the same plants, such as aloe and some cacti, like you have on the shelf. Do you have any mother of thousands? I have some I need to take out of pots to prevent them from taking the place of the plants that belong in them.

Yes, I frequently cook with rosemary, but when the Arp is blooming, I don't use it. I have several other kinds of rosemary. I love it on chicken, pork, and also use it in potatoes and soups.

I do bring the rosemarys inside for the winter. They are in the garden window on the east side of the house. They barely make it through the winter, but once they are back outside in the spring, they perk up. Actually, one year, I thought one, maybe the Arp was dead, but put it outside with the others, thinking it was going to end up on the compost. That's one time I was glad I procrastinated, because it came back to life!

You asked where I got the Arp. I think I got it from B&B Greenhouse in my town. I believe they also have it at the "Spring Affair" that Bluebird Nursery in Clarkson Nebraska has in Lincoln in April. I bet you'd love the sale. They have a huge selection, which they have online a few weeks before the sale. Last year, I said I wasn't going to go again because of the unorganized way you had to stand in one line to get your total, then find another line to pay. Enough time has gone by, that I've decided I'll probably go, but instead of trying to see every plant they have, just grab what's on my list and get out.

Hi Sue! You are so newsy!! Thank you for all the information regarding nurseries, etc. Perhaps we can get together next Spring?? I'll be traveling to Omaha periodically and should be there sometime! We could meet at the nursery! :-)

I don't have Mother of Thousands, but I used to. I'd forgotten about that plant! My spider plant acts as though she's batting 1000! ha.

Catherine, Look for a good sale. I found a couple of mine at a "Lowe's" in August...